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Thousands of travellers booked with British Airways are facing cancellations and delays today due to a “systems issue”.

BA hasn’t released much information about the cause of the problem yet, or indicated how long the disruption may go on for. As of 11:50 am, the only information available on the BA website is as follows:

Systems issue affecting check-in and flight departures
Answer Id 7638 Updated 07/08/2019 11.49 AM (UK time)
Summary
We are very sorry to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans.

We are working as quickly as possible to resolve a systems issue which has resulted in some short-haul cancellations and delays from London airports. 
More information

A number of flights continue to operate but we are advising customers to check manage my booking before coming to the airport.

We are offering customers booked on short-haul services departing from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City today, the opportunity to rebook to another day.

What to do if your flight has been cancelled
If your flight has been cancelled, please do not travel to the airport. We have a policy in place outlining the options available to you and how to make changes to your booking.
> Re-booking options if your flight has been cancelled

The BBC is reporting that the airline made an an announcement at Heathrow Airport at 9am this morning, instructing all short haul passengers to return home or head to a hotel. This is therefore clearly a very serious issue that is going to take significant time to sort out.

Anecdotally, we’ve heard from InsideFlyer readers who say the earliest alternative flight option they’ve been given is on Friday, although that will presumably vary by destination.

The aspect that is causing most upset for many passengers is a lack of communication from BA. Rather than hearing about the cancellations and delays from the airline, passengers are only discovering the problem at the airport, or hearing about it from news sources.

Have you been caught up in the travel chaos today? – what is the latest information you’ve received from BA?